Cary man charged with shooting son after argument about NFL players kneeling

Police have accused a Cary man of shooting his son after a Thanksgiving Day argument about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem.

Investigators charged Jorge Luis Valencia Lamadri, 51, of 103 Fallsworth Drive, with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, according to arrest records filed with the City County Bureau of Identification.

Police think Lamadri shot his 21-year-old son, Estenban Marley Valencia, following an argument and physical altercation during the family’s Thankgiving dinner at their Cary home.

A search warrant made public Tuesday indicates an argument involving Lamadri and his sons led to patio furniture being flung about and gunfire before someone called the police.

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Just before 5 p.m., emergency dispatchers alerted police about a gunshot and people arguing at a home in the 100 block of Fallsworth Drive, according to the search warrant.

Family members told police that Esteban Valencia had been involved in verbal and physical altercations with several people inside the home. His father told the officers that Esteban Valencia had been drinking a large amount of alcohol throughout the day. Esteban Valencia was asked to leave the home after his father retrieved a shotgun from inside the residence, according to the search warrant.

Instead of leaving, Esteban Valencia went into the backyard and continued to argue before he started throwing patio furniture and other items at the two-story home, throughout the backyard and at his father, family members said.

When Esteban Valencia threw a water bottle that struck his father in the face, Jorge Lamadri fired the shotgun and the blast struck his son in the hand and leg, Cary detective L.R. Hamlin reported.

Paramedics who arrived transported Esteban Valencia to a hospital for treatment. Investigators took Jorge Lamadri to the police department, where he was questioned further.

Lamadri said he did not intent to harm his son. He said his family had just sat down for their Thanksgiving meal when Esteban and Lamadri’s other son, Felipe Miguel Valencia, 27, got into an argument about athletes taking a knee during the national anthem.

Esteban charged toward Felipe, Lamadri told police. He also said that he knew he did not have the strength to stop his two sons from fighting, nor was Esteban going to leave the home. He then went to retrieve his shotgun, he told investigators.

Lamadri said he was outside holding his shotgun by its pistol grip. He said he squeezed the shotgun trigger as soon as the water bottle his son threw struck him in the face.

Lamadri said he checked on his son and noted that he had been shot. Lamadri then went back into his home, got dressed and waited for the police to arrive, he said.

Police transported Lamadri to the Wake County jail. He was released from custody on Saturday after posting a $50,000 bond, a jail spokesman reported Tuesday night.

Wake County court records show that last year on June 23, Cary police charged Esteban Valencia with driving while impaired. Days later, on July 6, Esteban Valencia was arrested again by Cary police on drunken driving charges. The disposition of those charged were not available Tuesday night.